From offering retailers help tailor programs to retailers needs to delivering meals and ramping up security and sanitation, companies are responding in different ways to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are some recent news items involving the industry its response to the pandemic.
4Earth Farms
The COVID-19 pandemic has made companies more aware of restricting access to facilities and other security measures.
According to BTI Communications Group, a technology company that offers and installs security systems, being aware of who is on the premises is also a food safety measure. The company previously installed a security system for 4Earth Farms at its 160,000-square-foot packing facility near Los Angeles.
The company’s Safe Quality Food certification specifies security as a good manufacturing process, Clint Miguel, 4EarthFarms’ information technology and security system manager.
“Since we handle produce, we fall under the umbrella of food handling so we need to make sure that only those authorized enter the facility, and only employees trained in food safety touch product,” Miguel said in a news release.
Packing facility employees are logged in and out of the warehouse and production area through turnstiles and doors, according to the release. This ensures regulatory and inspection compliance, and also that only authorized people wearing personal protective equipment are touching and handling food.
Choptank Transport
Choptank Transport, Preston, Md., has been delivering meals to children and seniors during the pandemic, and its grey Ford Transit van, aka the Chopvan, is a common sight on local roads.
The company has helped deliver 174,500 meals to children who attend Caroline County Public Schools and 41,600 meals to seniors, according to a news release.
“We put together over a thousand bags a day and deliver to 23 different sites,” Beth Brewster, Supervisor of Food Services at the school district, said in the release. “We needed help. I knew Choptank Transport had been involved in community initiatives helping local children with food insecurity.”
Four days a week, three meals a day, meals are delivered to those in the program. A weekend backpack program through the Food for Learning and the Caroline Foundation, has provided 15,000 backpacks during the pandemic.
“Choptank Transport has always aspired to be a civic-minded member of its community,” Geoff Turner, president and CEO, said in the release. “And since we are all about transportation, what better way to help our neighbors in these difficult times than by deploying the Chopvan to help transport meals to our Caroline County neighbors?”
Honeybear Brands
Apple grower and breeder Honeybear Brands recognize the extra work retailers have done to keep shelves stocked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Apples are one of the most dependable items in produce and at a volatile time, we are proud and grateful for the experienced hands that keep the supply chain working seamlessly,” Don Roper, vice president sales and marketing, said in a news release. “Access to fresh, nutritious food is critical, so we have been supporting foodbanks and charity partners across with country with fresh apples during this time.”
Honeybear Brands also recognizes changing consumer habits during the crisis, with online ordering supplanting regular trips to the store. Packaged produce is also gaining on bulk produce, as shoppers choose packaged fruits to help cut down on shopping trips, according to the Honeybear Brands news release.
“With many shoppers predicting they will increase their online grocery shopping in the next 90 days and decrease their in-person visits to stores, those habits could be changed for the foreseeable future,” according to the release.
National Grocers Association
The National Grocers Association is partnering with the Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association (ISSA) and the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) for a cleaning, disinfection and infection prevention program.
The new program for retailers is called GBAC STAR, according to a news release.
“Over the last few months, the entire food industry has come together to keep America fed while also giving back to communities during difficult times,” Greg Ferrara, NGA president and CEO, said in the release. “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, independent supermarkets have been innovators, coming up with creative ways to continue serving customers efficiently and safely.”
Consumers are more concerned about the cleanliness of grocery stories, Ferrara said.
“Our partnership with GBAC brings a training certification program to NGA members, enabling them to create a sanitation and outbreak prevention program customers can count on going forward,” he said in the release.
Retailers in the program:
- Establish a cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention program to minimize risks associated with infectious agents like the novel coronavirus;
- Adopt cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques and work practices to combat biohazards and infectious disease; and
- Use cleaning professionals trained for outbreak and infectious disease preparation and response.
Penn State Extension
Penn State Extension is offering a grower forum on addressing employer compliance with COVID-19 legal requirements for ag workers.
The web seminar is at 6:30-7:30 p.m. Eastern July 9. Brook Duer, staff attorney at the center will lead the discussion on legal requirements concerning ag labor during the pandemic, and Schaun Henry, partner in the Harrisburg, Pa., law firm of McNees, Wallace & Nurick LLC, will also participate.
Registration is available online for the free web seminar.
It is the third in a series offered by Penn State Extension.
“This webinar series has concentrated thus far on various aspects of how the pandemic has or will impact your workforce this growing season,” according to the Penn State Extension website. “Agricultural producers must process a veritable mountain of information essential to remaining viable during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
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